Pet books we like...

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Before we left for the farm, I wanted to make a comforting dish for dinner. The recipe, Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake is kind of like a homemade version of hamburger helper - without the box.

This is a great meal to sneak in some veggies where you would not normally expect to see them. The added vegetable, shredded carrots, is only 1 cup, but I think there is room in the recipe to add some more or a different kind to bulk up the dish some. Small whole wheat macaroni noodles are combined with a hearty meat sauce followed by a rich and creamy white cheese sauce. Once the noodles have begun to soak in the sauces, it is placed in the baking dish. Some additional sharp cheese is added and allowed to melt and achieve a golden color. Make sure to keep an watchful eye while in the oven, if left too long after the cheese melts, it may come out a bit dry. Next time I think we would up the heat some with chipotle chilies and maybe some seasoned diced tomatoes.